Buzzmakers: Jolie's Mastectomy & Beckham Retires

In an op-ed piece for the The New York Times, Oscar winning actress and mother-of-six Angelina Jolie reveals that she recently underwent a preventive double mastectomy.

In the article, the 37-year-old actress goes into great detail about how her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, fought breast cancer for almost a decade before dying from the disease at 56 years old.

After being told by doctors that she carried a "faulty gene" that increases the chances of breast and ovarian cancer -- with an estimated 87 percent risk of breast cancer and 50 percent risk of the latter -- Jolie decided to be proactive and have a double mastectomy.

Here are some excerpts from the article:

"Once I knew that this was my reality, I decided to be proactive and to minimize the risk as much I could. I made a decision to have a preventive double mastectomy. I started with the breasts, as my risk of breast cancer is higher than my risk of ovarian cancer, and the surgery is more complex."

"On April 27, I finished the three months of medical procedures that the mastectomies involved. During that time I have been able to keep this private and to carry on with my work."

"But I am writing about it now because I hope that other women can benefit from my experience. Cancer is still a word that strikes fear into people's hearts, producing a deep sense of powerlessness. But today it is possible to find out through a blood test whether you are highly susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer, and then take action..."

"...I wanted to write this to tell other women that the decision to have a mastectomy was not easy. But it is one I am very happy that I made. My chances of developing breast cancer have dropped from 87 percent to under 5 percent. I can tell my children that they don't need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer."

After just signing a five-month deal at Paris St-Germain in January, soccer pro David Beckham has announced that he will be hanging up his cleats and retiring at the end of this season.

"I'm thankful to PSG for giving me the opportunity to continue but I feel now is the right time to finish my career, playing at the highest level," the 38-year-old athlete said (via BBC Sports ). "If you had told me as a young boy I would have played for and won trophies with my boyhood club Manchester United, proudly captained and played for my country over 100 times and lined up for some of the biggest clubs in the world, I would have told you it was a fantasy."

BBC Sports notes that in his career Beckham has won "19 trophies -- 10 of them league titles -- in a playing career spanning 20 years, and is the only English player to win championships in four countries." It's also mentioned that the soccer stud joined Manchester United at the young age of 14, and "made 398 appearances, winning six Premier League titles and the Champions League."

"Nothing will ever completely replace playing the game I love. However, I feel like I'm starting a new adventure and I'm genuinely excited about what lies ahead," continues Beckham. "I'm fortunate to have been given many opportunities throughout my career and now I feel it's my time to give back."

The former England captain, who also played for the Los Angeles Galaxy, has two more games to go before the end of the season, which will take play on May 18 at home against Brest.

Candice Glover! After five months of fierce competition, the 23- year-old singer took home the top prize, beating out Kree Harrison, 22, for the crown, as season 12 came to a close Thursday night. Glover is the first woman to win Idol since Jordin Sparks nabbed the title in 2007.

Fighting tears, the singer tried and failed to deliver a thank you speech, but gained her composure in time to belt out her forthcoming single, I am Beautiful, as the show closed.

Mariah Carey, Keith Urban, Jennifer Hudson, Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Psy, Frankie Valli, Adam Lambert (and many more) took to the stage to perform during the star-studded finale. Aretha Franklin made a surprise appearance via satellite to perform her legendary hits, (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman and Freedom, with the top five.

Thursday also marked the end of an era for the FOX staple as judge Randy Jackson bid farewell to the show he's been a part of since day one.

"I am so blessed and so honored and so lucky," said Jackson in a shout out to all the hopefuls that have graced the show in its 12 seasons. "Hopefully, I touched their lives a little bit. They certainly touched mine."

Looking ahead to season 13, American Idol revealed auditions for next year will begin July 11 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Visit AmericanIdol.com for the full schedule.

In addition to her widely published column, Dr. Brothers also paved the way for television advice shows like Dr. Phil when in 1958 she became a licensed psychologist and hosted her own TV show on a local NYC station.

Dr. Brothers was also the author of What Every Woman Should Know About Men and Widowed -- the latter of which was written following the death of husband Milton Brothers in 1989. The couple was married for forty years and had one child, Lisa.

According to the AP, Dr. Brothers first gained fame by becoming the only woman to ever win the top prize on the game show The $64,000 Question. Joyce made many guest appearances over the years, many times as herself. Some of those shows included Entourage, Melrose Place, Baywatch and Married with Children.